Tesla Fire

JeffKeryk said:
The CR video showed just how stupid someone would have to be to do something like this.
You could do this with just about any car if you wanted to.

Why would anyone do this?
Click to expand...
Not in a GM, they have much more advanced safeguards for autopilot. CR said it, not me. Why would anyone do this? Because they can. They ask questions like do I need to pay attention on auto pilot?
 
Nash said:
Not in a GM, they have much more advanced safeguards for autopilot. CR said it, not me. Why would anyone do this? Because they can. They ask questions like do I need to pay attention on auto pilot?
Click to expand...
I think you are missing my point.
There are always ways around safeguards if you choose to do such a thing.
Using a dangerous tool, like a vehicle, firearm, chainsaw, welder, etc. assumes responsibe operation.

Drivers who operate a Tesla or other vehicle so dangerously, without regard for the life ot their occupants or anyone else, is the #1 argument to get them off the road.

And hopefully you know the latest evidence suggests the car was not on AP.
 
PimTac said:
I read somewhere that you own the car but Tesla owns the software so if one decides to repair their Tesla from parts taken from a scrapped one, Tesla would put the kibosh on that.
Click to expand...
From what I heard this is the big right to repair law debate out there. In the farming community I think John Deere vs individual farmers are the big one out there and the latest update is the law said it is legal to hack their own tractor to repair without violating the law.

Then all the companies lobby the heck out of our legal system so maybe it is only the farmers who could do that but not your iPhone or Tesla (they have run some really shady smear campaigns these days).

Anyways, in the end you may need to take a whole set of cars electronics and swap the whole thing from a scrap to another, not just pick and pull one part and another. You may also need to wait for Russian and Chinese to come up with some hack wiring harness that "hack" between parts communications.
 
Trav said:
the problem of putting the battery fire out troubling. Is this problem going to be commonplace with more EV on the road.
Click to expand...

Yes, it is. Battery fires are nasty. Have to remove latent heat and prevent propagation from cell to cell. The tighter they are packed, and the more energy dense they are, the harder it is to do that. And, unlike fuel, you can’t smother it. The cells can self generate oxygen, and smothering them just allows hig heat to spread from cell to cell, enhancing a propagating failure. Massive amounts of water is necessary. Far harder to manage than fuel.

Then put thst disaster inside of a garage, in a home (I personally think attached garages are dumb, but realize they’re the norm), and what do you get? A recipe for your car to burn down your home. Easily.

Despite all the claims of wonder in terms of how Tesla is doing, very few out there compared to the total number of cars sold. And they’re still new (cells generate gas and get more dangerous as they age). So it’s a ticking time bomb, with the hope that they’re traded in and packs replaced before they become a major menace.
 
JHZR2 said:
Despite all the claims of wonder in terms of how Tesla is doing, very few out there compared to the total number of cars sold. And they’re still new (cells generate gas and get more dangerous as they age). So it’s a ticking time bomb, with the hope that they’re traded in and packs replaced before they become a major menace.
Click to expand...
Fires are horrible; living in CA I am all too aware of this.
But so far, from a fire per miles traveled standpoint, Teslas burn from fire at a far less rate than ICE cars. Like 10 times less.
The US average is 1 fire per 19M miles traveled. Tesla's average is 1 fire per 205M miles traveled.

Yes, Teslas constitute a small percentage of the vehicle total...
That's where a comparison based on fires per miles driven, while imperfect, gives a little clarity.
Of course, cars burn from crashes as well as other causes unrelated to the car, such as arson and structure fire.
Part of the reason Teslas are involved in far less fires are their young age; they are relatively new cars overall.

Tesla Fire report 2012 - 2020
 
JeffKeryk said:
Fires are horrible; living in CA I am all too aware of this.
But so far, from a fire per miles traveled standpoint, Teslas burn from fire at a far less rate than ICE cars. Like 10 times less.
The US average is 1 fire per 19M miles traveled. Tesla's average is 1 fire per 205M miles traveled.

Yes, Teslas constitute a small percentage of the vehicle total...
That's where a comparison based on fires per miles driven, while imperfect, gives a little clarity.
Of course, cars burn from crashes as well as other causes unrelated to the car, such as arson and structure fire.
Part of the reason Teslas are involved in far less fires are their young age; they are relatively new cars overall.

Tesla Fire report 2012 - 2020
Click to expand...
That’s not unexpected. Old Sony (dell?) laptops aside, how often do you see battery failures and fires in your regular life?

The difference is thst you get rid of consumer electronics every few years, while it’s conceivable that one will keep a car 10-15-20 years. And batteries have internal chemical ageing, use them or not.

We are only at the tip of the iceberg here...
 
You won't see as many EV fire as ICE fire until they becomes popular, cheap, and slums are filled with them, neglect them, and vandalize them. I bet you $20 that if you remove all the ICE cars in all slums you will reduce probably 90% of all ICE cars fire too.

I am sure by the time slums are full of EV we will have some pretty abuse tolerant battery like LiFe available for base model Corolla and Elantra.
 
JHZR2 said:
That’s not unexpected. Old Sony (dell?) laptops aside, how often do you see battery failures and fires in your regular life?

The difference is thst you get rid of consumer electronics every few years, while it’s conceivable that one will keep a car 10-15-20 years. And batteries have internal chemical ageing, use them or not.

We are only at the tip of the iceberg here...
Click to expand...
I was wondering... When did the Prius come out? 2000? Do these cars fall into this category?
Millions have been sold, I believe.
Or is it only newer full EVs?
 
JeffKeryk said:
I was wondering... When did the Prius come out? 2000? Do these cars fall into this category?
Millions have been sold, I believe.
Or is it only newer full EVs?
Click to expand...
Prius used NiMH until when? Different, less energy dense, more benign chemistry. Far different cathode material and electrolyte. Those are the items that make the problems.

Then go higher and higher energy density, more cells, ability to be run harder/hotter/longer, more substantial charging, etc. and the risk changes.
 
JHZR2 said:
Prius used NiMH until when? Different, less energy dense, more benign chemistry. Far different cathode material and electrolyte. Those are the items that make the problems.

Then go higher and higher energy density, more cells, ability to be run harder/hotter/longer, more substantial charging, etc. and the risk changes.
Click to expand...
I remember people said they have done testing like dunking a prius battery in a swimming pool and it still work catch fire. Lithium will likely be different.
 
JHZR2 said:
Prius used NiMH until when? Different, less energy dense, more benign chemistry. Far different cathode material and electrolyte. Those are the items that make the problems.

Then go higher and higher energy density, more cells, ability to be run harder/hotter/longer, more substantial charging, etc. and the risk changes.
Click to expand...
Toyota still uses NiMH in the Prius AWD and Rav4 hybrid. The site says after Jan 2021 on Rav 4. I think it is due to safety given awd potential use? May be for something else but why use a heavier battery?

 
Advanced technology=good, but autonomous vehicles run into trees/police cars/each other
Ancient technology=bad, only promoted by luddites but you can't make a horse run into anything even if the rider is blotto.

1620564383504.jpg
 
ZeeOSix said:
At least it didn't catch on fire. Dude looks to be going over 100 MPH.
Click to expand...
Yes not a tesla or EV issue, I would think that driver would have killed himself no matter what he was driving, eventually. Maybe this ended as well as it possibly could, I think the truck driver will be shaken but otherwise ok.

It's hard to judge but looks like the tesla was doing 80 Mph when he hit the truck juding bby ground covered in the 1 second the tesla is on screen. The truck was doing 30 ish. Uphill section maybe, or an urban speed limit?
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top